The Sleep Programming system claims that you can learn whilst you sleep. It is also sometimes called hypnopaedia.

At first glance, the idea sounds like something out of a science fiction book.

So how does Sleep Programming work?

The instructions you get with the system are simple:

“Play the required session on repeat – at a comfortable volume – as you fall asleep.”

The science behind the idea is that you still react to things as you sleep.

If you’ve ever woken up when you heard a “bump” in the night, you’ll know that part is true – your subconscious keeps check of your environment and alerts you if there’s anything unusual that you need to know about.

Each one follows the same format: there is a brief introduction, followed by a short sleep induction. After that, each track has a series of messages relating to your chosen subject. The system calls these “mind programming scripts”. They are a mixture of affirmations, direct commands and visualizations. Behind them is a gentle music track. And behind that are binaural beats to ensure that your brain is receptive to the ideas you’re listening to.

If you’ve come across binaural beats before, you’ll know that they normally work in stereo by playing two slightly different tones, one into each ear.

And if, like me, you don’t like wearing headphones whilst you sleep, you may be thinking that this part of the system won’t work unless you wear headphones. But the system includes “monaural beats” as well, so the system claims that it will work even if you don’t wear headphones.

Other than pressing “play” to start the track and ensuring that your CD or MP3 player is in repeat mode, there really isn’t anything else to do.

Except that you may need to adjust the volume of the playback.

The main beauty of this idea is that you don’t need to take time out from your schedule to do it. You’re going to sleep each night anyway. All you need to do is change your routine slightly so that you play a track as you sleep.

And in much the same way as John Cusack’s character in the film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” had to play himself a tape of city traffic in order to get to sleep, I found that it took me a few days to get used to the sounds playing whilst I slept. After that, it was natural for the sounds to be playing and I found them restful.

The system offers the option of either downloading the tracks or having them sent to you on CD. If you’re not on a good speed broadband connection I’d strongly suggest choosing the CD version. The files are big – around 65Mb to 80Mb each – and took me quite a while to download.

The 16 tracks are:

Accelerated Learning Success
This track aims to boost the speed you learn at. Accelerated Learning is normally taught in books. Which means you’d normally need to take time out to learn how to use it. This is a good short cut, even if you’re currently learning the idea from a book.

Awesome Self-Esteem
It’s easy to let your self confidence drop. Most people have some form of negative self talk that chips away at their self esteem. This is a good alternative to using a self hypnosis track to bring your self esteem back up to the level you’d like it to be.

Be Super Assertive!
I know one or two people who I’d make sure don’t listen to this one – they’re assertive enough already. But for us mere mortals who need help to stand up to some of the more dominant people in our lives… Enough said.

Be Super Lucky
If you’ve ever read Richard Wiseman’s book “The Luck Factor” then you’ll know that luck is something you can create in your life. His description of the people who walked straight over a £5 ($10) note as considering themselves unlucky whilst those who thought they were lucky spotted it immediately has stuck in my mind for a long time. As did the people who weren’t in the experiment who found the note anyway. You can use this track to increase your luckiness.

Business Success
This track is designed for anyone who runs their own business and wants to make it more successful.

No More Stress, Ever
Like it or not, stress is a factor in our modern lives. Personally, I listen to a meditation track almost every day to ensure that I am as relaxed as I can be. This is a good alternative for those people with a schedule that doesn’t allow them time out to do this (although I’d strongly recommend taking the time out to relax as well).

Positive Thinking 24/7
Start thinking positively by switching off the television news and not reading a daily newspaper! Use this to “top up” the positive feelings as necessary.

Rapid Weight Loss
I’ve not tried this one yet but the idea of getting slim while I sleep does appeal.

Super Confidence
This works in a similar way to the self esteem track, helping to boost your confidence.

Total Freedom
Save this track for times when you’re feeling a bit “down” and “stuck”.

Dream Answer Kit
You probably know that your dreams are your subconscious mind bubbling up and trying to tell you things. I’ve played this track on occasions when I need to problem solve something in my life and have found myself being drawn to the correct solution the day after I’ve listened to it.

Feel Motivated Every Day
The title on this one pretty much says it all.

Hyper-Fast Thinking
Teenagers playing computer games seem to have this function built-in. Thinking fast is getting more and more necessary as the pace of life quickens. If you’re worried that your mind is slowing down as you get older, this track will put you back on course.

Total Relationship Success
The aim of this track is to improve all the relationships in your life. Not just romantic relationships but also how you get along with friends, business partners and anyone else you deal with on a regular basis.

Unlock Your Inner Genius
Whether this track will bring out the Einstein in you as the sales page claims is up to you to check out. My mind tends to be a bit too analytical at times, which puts me in the left brained section of the population. This track aims to liberate your mind and let it be creative – something that’s probably been suppressed since you were at school.

Wake Up Feeling Great!
Another track where the title is pretty much self descriptive.

All the tracks in the Sleep Programming series are well composed. The affirmations and other messages are positive and framed correctly. They use positives because these are processed easily by our subconscious minds.

Whilst you may not use every single one of the tracks, there’s a good chance that you’ll use quite a few of them as they work well together.

The ease of use is good. As is the fact that you don’t need to set aside any extra time in your daily life to listen to them – all you need to do is remember to press “play” just before you go to bed.

I bet this makes use of embedded subliminals to complement the binaural/monaural beats. I remember a few years back when I was intensively reviewing prior to the board exams, after studying, I prepare to go to sleep by lying down on the bed and imagining that I’m still up and reading all my books and notes. I also make some sort of command to myself that even as I sleep, I still will be reviewing all and absorbing all. I am not sure how much that exercise helped me because I did study diligently anyway. I got to be number 12 nationwide in that board exam.

It seems we are in the same boat! Congrats, this is real a wonderful program, recommended for all your visitors. I’ve tried it myself and the results are inspiring. One of the best self improvement programs ever.

This is a very powerful program. I have experienced phenomenal results and so did my other friends who have used it. And the best thing is… we don’t need to use a single minute of our waking time to experience dramatic results. Talk about saving time!